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Although numerous musicians have borrowed from epic fantasy, rarely any have genuinely embodied the fantasy lifestyle. Sure, they might decorate their album sleeves with creatures, imps, manacled maidens and muscular warriors, but has any musician ever been forced to retrieve a missing horn from a unicorn from a frost-covered ground in the heart of winter? Did anyone spent time straining their eyes in the rear of a tour bus, fixing their own metal mesh?

Immersed in the Legend

Established in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have dealt with both these scenarios and others as they embody their grand tales. Starting with knightly, catchy tunes to stunning performances, costume design, music videos and cover artwork, they’re not so much a heavy metal group as a complete sensory journey.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a outfit with characters,” states singer, guitarist, sword-carrier and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van travels from a sold-out gig in Cologne to one more in another town – they have multiple performances in the UK this week. “We played two shows and were scheduled on a October show, where I made a last-minute decision to put on an outfit. Everything was super-DIY, but we had so much fun and the energy was unforgettable. I thought, ‘Imagine if we could have so much excitement always?’”

Growth of the Group

After that, the ensemble – which features Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” joined by a plague doctor (low-end instrumentalist), proud bloodsucker (lead guitarist) and mysterious druid (rhythm keeper) – never turned back. The Bestiary, the band’s second album, brings to mind of famous rock groups uniting to fight their path through a mythical painted realm – a epic masterpiece that sets them on the verge of greater success.

The release was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her collaborators. “It made it a much better album,” she says of the team effort. “It was challenging at first – I often experienced a certain amount of accomplishment as a female in music going it alone. There have been so many times where after a show and an audience member will say, ‘The band compose cool melodies!’ and I think, ‘Wait – I composed all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

As the band’s stature has expanded, so has the scale of their stage presentation. “My motto is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. Initially, she was on path for a fine art degree before balking at the possibility of financial burden. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to express artistic expression,” she says. “Whether it’s crafting disguises, outfit planning, figuring out video editing music videos … it’s all stuff I am unfamiliar with, but it’s enjoyable to discover on the fly.”

Even though building the group’s detailed mythology (“Everyone’s urging me to write it down because everything is stored,” Riley says, indicating her head) and making clothing wasn’t enough, the vocalist learned on her own how to craft metal mesh – a difficult task, though she admittedly entrusted her brand-new scalemail look to a New York-based specialist. “It seems like actual armour,” she grins.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

Regarding the fans? They took to the stage blood, foam swords and crafted rodent bones with equal enthusiasm as the musicians. “We had a gig in the Motor City and it looked like a medieval event,” recalls Riley happily. “All attendees was in capes, sheepskin, armor.”

That’s not to imply, however, that traveling lifestyle as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been easy. “Everything is always failing and ends up fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Additionally I get countless concepts as to how I desire the presentation, but we are on the move in a bus with restricted capacity. It’s a unique problem to create the impression like a larger-than-life story, then store it into minimal luggage.”

We’ve encountered further organizational challenges that would never have plagued fictional warriors. “We did have an ‘oh shit’ moment when we played a Portuguese festival in Portugal and my luggage – which had my sword in it – got lost,” says Riley. “This became a nightmare, because there is no an alternative version of the concert where I am without a weapon.”

Upcoming Plans

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is gung-ho about the what’s next. “I want to go all the way – we should play large venues,” she says. “The key element that’s really important to me is maintaining the handmade style, ensuring everything is handmade. It’s a component I want to remain faithful to, regardless of we grow into. Additionally, I desire to appear on a magical horse each show. Think about how legends use vehicles in concerts? Exactly that, but using a unicorn.”